‘We should all reflect on professionalism, at every level’: meet Rachel Nolan, the 89th president of the Society and College of Radiographers

Now, actually. Becoming president of the Society and College of Radiographers is something I would never have dreamed of as a 19 year old starting my training. I’ve had many proud moments during my career, but this is definitely the pinnacle.

The reason I got involved in the SoR is twofold. Initially, in 2016, I joined the Diagnostic Imaging Advisory Group after attending a meeting. Charlotte Beardmore approached me and we had a conversation about a new group being set up that she thought I would be a good fit for.

I was the vice chair of that group for a few years. Then, during the pandemic, I had cancer treatment. It gave me the spur that I wanted to do something else. I wanted to give back. The representative for the Eastern Region came up, so I applied and was lucky enough to be appointed! As I embedded myself in council over the next couple of years, I thought ‘yes, I really would like to run for president, to take things further’.

Working alongside the presidential team, UK Council members and the College of Radiographers Board of Trustees, I will provide visible and inclusive leadership to advance the organisation’s strategic objectives. By fostering collaboration, listening to our members and championing innovation, I will support the delivery of a sustainable and ambitious future for the profession. Working together we can strengthen member engagement, influence policy, support professional excellence and ensure the organisation remains a powerful voice for radiographers.

I am also committed to delivering the message around the Partnership between Patients, Practitioners and the Public within Imaging and Radiotherapy Services (4Ps) guidance document over my tenure as president. The 4Ps document is integral to everything we do as professionals ensuring that the patient voice is heard and that patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Professionalism, to me, is about how we interact with the patient from the moment we see them. I’m following on from immediate past president Katie Thompson’s ‘Hello, my name is…’ campaign.

It may sound like something really simple, but that’s how professionalism starts. It’s how we interact with patients, it’s our demeanour, it’s how we look, it’s all sorts of different elements, and it’s about getting the whole package right.

It’s not just our students who need this support. Professionalism is something we all need to reflect on, and at every level of practice.

As a key part of the launch of the professionalism campaign, we are working with a focus group made up of a diverse range of members. The group recently co-created a statement summarising how they define professionalism: “Professionalism is our consistent commitment to integrity, accountability and compassionate, person-centred care. Although workforce pressures and burnout are real threats, we protect our practice when individuals at all levels model empathy, visibility, active allyship and fair challenge. By co-creating a culture anchored in psychological safety and open dialogue, we ensure that patient safety and professional excellence remain the norm.”

I demonstrate professionalism by leading through example and setting clear expectations for staff and students, recognising that professional behaviours are fundamental to both effective leadership and the development of the future workforce.

It’s about how my demeanour is with the people I work with, and how I interact with patients. I don’t work in a patient-facing role anymore; however, I do deal with complaints, risk, governance – that is part of professionalism as well.

Patients and people are at the centre of everything I do. I strive to provide compassionate, respectful and inclusive care, and support the development and wellbeing of colleagues by fostering safe teams, mentoring staff and encouraging multidisciplinary collaboration.

Helping people to learn and take forward those key messages, even if that’s just as an aside conversation with a member of staff, or when I’m out visiting places – it’s really important to get the messages out there.

The SoR is supporting the membership through education. Over the next year, we’re going to do monthly updates and webinars about professionalism, and my intention is to meet as many people as possible. 

One of the things we’re going to deliver is the establishment of 4Ps champions for professionalism, as part of the 4Ps guidance refresh. We will be creating a community of practice for 4Ps champions to come together and share their good practice, so that they can then take new ideas back to their individual teams and departments.

At every opportunity, I want to talk about professionalism. Sometimes it starts with very small steps that we can take forward.

Radiographers have a duty to follow both the code of conduct set out by the Health and Care Professions Council and that of the Society of Radiographers. This links in with the 4Ps as patient-centred care and patient safety are of foremost importance throughout. The society has published a range of advice, guidance and learning resources that aim to support members to meet the code and other professional, legal, ethical and governance requirements relevant to their practice, which can be accessed through the SoR website.

Working with the executive team at the SoR, we’ve got ambitious plans for the next year and a significant programme of activity. Things will be building up as time goes – but we are starting today.

There are big changes ahead. We can’t ignore AI – it’s here to stay. We have to work with it, not against it, and ensure that it provides opportunities for radiographers to engage in service improvement and enhance patient care. There are always worries that it’s going to take our jobs – but our role is developing and advancing with it. You still need the human element to interact with patients.

There are opportunities for advancing practice. I work in diagnostics, but I know the therapeutic side of the profession is taking massive strides forward in developing the profession and advanced practice, as well as consultant practice.

In diagnostics, there are many things we can do to support radiographers. We need to carry on developing people, because that helps keep them in the profession. 

Radiography is a broad profession, and the SoR represents members in all modalities and at all levels. I understand that not everybody wants to achieve dizzy heights of research or education, but we have to get the balance right between those who want to advance themselves and those who are actually quite happy coming in and doing their day job.

I like to relax – we’re all working in very stressful environments in the NHS! I’m a grandmother, or a ‘nana’, so I spend an awful lot of time with my granddaughter.

I have two grown-up daughters who I spend quite a lot of time with, and I’ll be honest: I like having a nice gin and tonic after work!

I’d like to say to the radiographers out there that we are fully aware of all the challenges that are going on in the NHS. The society is here to fully support you. Make sure you use your reps, use your networks and please do reach out to the society for any advice.

I will do my best to have a year where I can support you as much as I possibly can.

More about the SoR president and UK Council

The UK Council of the Society of Radiographers is the governing executive committee, board of directors, and trade union executive that sets the strategic direction for the organisation.

Its members are democratically elected by fellow members on a regional and national basis for three-year terms.

The president of the Society is elected from among the sitting members of UK Council and serves as the leading figurehead of the organisation for their year in the role. They serve as part of the SoR presidential team alonside the vice president, president elect and the immediate past president.

Find out more about UK Council here.